Monday, July 23, 2012End to the drought could be in sightForecasters projecting return to normal rainfall levels for fall and early winterby WKSU's JASEN SOKOL

ReporterJasen Sokol

Relief from Ohio’s drought should be coming soon.

The National Weather Service has confirmed the first six months of the year were Ohio’s tenth driest since it started keeping records in 1894. But it’s also projecting that rainfall will return to normal come this fall and continuing through the rest of the year.

The relief could be short-lived for the state. Weather Service hydrologist Jim Noel points to a recently issued an El Niño watch, meaning water in the Pacific Ocean may warm up over the winter.

“If that El Niño develops we could actually get some enhancement to the drought later this winter," he said. "And with that, the official outlook for winter is for the below normal precipitation to return.”

One thing that won’t be leaving us: the heat. The Weather Service is projecting above average temperatures to continue through October.